How to participate in ranger-led New Year’s Day hike at Hunting Island State Park
Tickets remain for a New Year’s Day tradition that gets South Carolinians out of the house and into the many parks that dot the state.
The South Carolina State Park Service will once again host “First Day Hikes” throughout the state on Thursday, the closest at Hunting Island State Park, a 5,000-acre barrier island situated in northeast Beaufort County.
Local hikers can take part in the 1.5-mile ranger-led hike on the Nature Center Scenic Trail. Along the way, the ranger will tell participants about the plants and animals native to the area and will discuss what it means to be a barrier island.
There are 30 tickets remaining for the 7 to 8 a.m. hike on Thursday. The second hike of the day has already sold out. Registration for the event is free. The Park Service advises that anyone who participates in the hike wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and to bring water and bug spray.
Hikers will meet at the Hunting Island State Park Nature Center, located on Nature Center Scenic Trail on St. Helena Island next to the fishing pier.
Later, hikers can join in on the 16th annual Pelican Plunge at the park. Festivities begin with a costume parade at 12:30 p.m., followed by the official plunge into the ocean at 1 p.m. The event features prizes, food trucks and commemorative T-shirts for participants. Tickets are required to take part in the plunge. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
